Spring Time Flutters
by Joker and the Thief
Summary: An incident between then and now sparks wonderful memories between the two loving pair. Shun/Uki. An old short story lost in the archives of my livejournal. Enjoy!


**A/N: ****Tucked away in lost archives of my old livejournal account I stumbled upon some forgotten short stories I had made under the alias bluecrazed (no relation to another fanfiction author) and decided that as much as I loved these two characters I couldn't just leave my attempts to fade in time, so I posted them here. I hope you all enjoy. ****Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

**Title: Spring Time Flutters**

**Genre: Humor, Romance**

**Rating: K+**

**Characters: Kyouraku, Ukitake**

**Warning: some sexual comments, nothing too dirty ;)**

* * *

**Spring Time Flutters**

* * *

"If we keep following these same tracks, it'll lead us right to it! C'mon, Kyouraku!" laughed a young and free-spirited Ukitake Jyuushirou as he and his dear friend traveled down a grassy path hidden in forest somewhere in the free-lands of Rukongai. Staggering behind his merry skips was another young student, broader and tanner and hair the color of rich dark chocolate.

"Maa, Ukitake-kun…did you really have to take me on a hike through the forest so _late_ at night?" blubbered the bigger man.

Ukitake rolled his eyes but never removed the large grin that split his face. "It's just a bit further, Kyouraku, so stop your whining." Nothing, not even Kyouraku's fussing was going to ruin this.

It was only a few minutes later that Ukitake came to a sudden halt, almost causing Kyouraku to bump into him. A hush had fallen over the nighttime environment around them; the owls disappearing into the depths of the trees and the crickets had altogether shushed their midnight songs. This slightly disturbed Kyouraku, who, even though he loved the wonders of the night, had noticed that they were in an unknown part of the forest in the almost pitch black shadows where cool breezes danced like chilled fingertips on his skin and through his hair. A bush nearby rustled and he almost jumped in the air like a startled cat. Okay…maybe this was getting to his head.

"H-Hey, Ukitake-kun, maybe we better—"

"Shh! Stay quiet and walk slowly this way."

"As much as I want to, I'd rather turn back before—"

"Please, Kyouraku? I promise it'll be worth it. Trust me."

It was then that Kyouraku started to get a little irritated. First disturbing his sleep, second taking away his sake that he had stashed so skillfully from Yama-jii, and then dragging him out here in the middle of nowhere to get eaten? His friend had his weird moments, _cute _as they were_, _but weird, but _this_ was just crazy.

"Look, Ukitake-kun, as much as I enjoy your little adventures, I'm not going through anymore creepy passageways through some uncharted forest for—" His eyes just so happened to lay upon Ukitake's face when he noticed through the darkness that his friend's normal expression had now fallen into a heartbreaking frown. Oh, how he hated that look with all the feeling in his being. It was the guilty feeling afterward that made it unbearable for Kyouraku to say no to anything that his cute little Ukitake-kun wanted, which in fact Ukitake really never asked for much anyway. Ever since they had joined the Academy, he had watched the frail white-haired young man run errands, do favors, lend out gifts and money, and so on to everyone he met, and rarely had the other man seen Ukitake ask for favors in return. It was just the sort of considerate and selfless person he was…maybe turning down one of Ukitake's rare moments of need was far from the best idea.

Kyouraku slumped his shoulders in defeat; letting out a sigh and returning Ukitake's forlorn look with a smile. "Don't worry, Ukitake-kun," he whispered, "whatever you brought me here to see _must _be magical or something wondrous. Let's go shall we?" The reply he got was Ukitake's brightened smile and sparkling eyes, bringing a warm feeling swirling through his heart.

Ukitake took his hand and led him through the last of the brush and they ended up standing at the opening of a large wide field with grass up to his knees. A large white moon filled half the sky with thousands of sparkling stars scattered behind it. It truly was a beautiful sight.

"Just wait…this is the best part!" Ukitake whispered solemnly, and from the look in Ukitake's eyes, Kyouraku was sure that what was coming next was sure to outstand anything he had ever seen before.

How right he was, because in that instant a heavy breeze had picked up and wafted through the field causing the grass to tremble and shake ever so violently. It was then that he watched as the field started to grow a ray of multiple colors drowned by a soft white haze. The color traveled in waves through the field and he looked on in awe and confusion, as it appeared that field was rising. No…it wasn't the field…it was what was coming out of the field…. Thousands, no, _millions_ of flying spots sprouted out of the field in massive groups as if looking at a wave of multicolored sakura petals flowing off a tree. It was a sight that Kyouraku had never seen before in his entire life. Something _so _beautiful, _so _awe-inspiring was happening around him and all he could mutter out of the shock was one word.

"Moths…?" He gasped quietly.

"Not just any moths…" Ukitake replied in a distant tone, "Spirit Moths. Only found in the afterlife in extremely rare parts of Rukongai. The colors are the moons light reflected off their wings. It is said that they breed in large vacant areas only under the first full moon of spring."

There was a silence after the white-haired boy was finished, left for only the silent wonder of both students witnessing such a rare and beautiful sight. Kyouraku watched on as millions of moths grouped together like a massive colorful tornado and only a few seconds after did they take their leave from the field and flew higher and higher into the air, disappearing into the distant darkness beyond the field in a matter of seconds.

"The sad thing about it is…" Kyouraku blinked out of his trance and turned to look at his dear friend whose attention was still somewhere far off beyond the field. "…This breed of moth hibernates and sprouts once every 300 years…."

There was a pregnant pause after his friend's comment, filled with something unsaid that had Kyouraku narrow his eyes quizzically. Before he had the chance to open his mouth, Ukitake slowly turned his emerald eyes to stare into Kyouraku's chocolate ones and for the first time could Kyouraku see something other than the usual look of content swirling around in them.

"Our ceremony is tomorrow, Kyouraku…we will no longer be officers, but captains. The first captains other than Genryusai-sensei himself. I've had a lot of time to think about all of this, and…you know how my health can take drastic turns for the worst at the most random of times, ne?" There was a quiver in the young man's voice, and he stopped himself to take a hard swallow before gazing his eyes downward, unable to look into those piercing dark orbs.

"I wanted you to be here to see this with me…something that my health might prevent me from seeing a second time, you know? I mean, a captain's status is filled with so much responsibility and hardship, so much danger at every sharp corner…what if my body breaks down under the pressure of it all? What if I were to just drop dead tomorrow or 100 years from now or even—"

A large tanned hand clamped over his mouth, suddenly silencing the now frantic soon-to-be captain. His eyes widened, and looked back up only to see two angered eyes staring right back at him.

"Don't say such silly things, Ukitake. You're right, you _don't_ know what might happen to you, but why go on proclaiming your death as if you know that it's for certain?" He saw the rise of his friend's eyebrows and felt the small gasp on his palm. He continued, "You have no clue what your words do to me, Ukitake. We are friends remember? We share the same pain, the same sorrow, the same _everything, _and I'll be damned if I'll stand there and watch something so beautiful again by myself!" He lowered his hand off the other boy's mouth and rested it on his shoulder and with his other hand he raised it only to lay it on the other shoulder. His eyes continued to stare into the sparkling pools of green, and his voice lowered to a hoarse whisper.

"I promise that when the time comes, we'll see the Spirit Moths again in this very spot even if I have to drag your sick or half-dead carcass with me, we _will_ see this together, okay?"

Ukitake nodded hastily, still befuddled to say anything at his friend's sudden dramatic proclamation. He felt the hands move off his shoulders before one of the hands lay on his head. Kyouraku's expression changed to that of a lazy grin and he ruffled the white mass of hair with his large hand.

"Maa, let's go back now, Ukitake-kun. The ceremony will be hell if we don't get our sleep, ne?" he chuckled and started for the long dark path through the forest, leaving a ruffled Ukitake still standing dumbfounded in the field.

"Ah…ah! W-Wait for me, Kyouraku!"

-centuries later—

"I still don't understand why you woke me up out of bed for a stroll around the forest. Can't we do this sometime else when we can actually _see_ the path ahead of us?" 13th division captain Ukitake Jyuushiriou whined just before getting whacked in the neck by a small branch.

"The best is yet to come, Jyuu-kun. For now try not to be such a grump, you are killing the mood of adventure." 8th division captain Kyouraku Shunsui replied ahead of him with a wave of his hand.

Ukitake narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't be such a grump if _someone_ hadn't carried me out of my bed like a new bride."

"Romance is the word you are looking for, and you're welcome for trying to make it special for you."

"It _was _romantic, but you try waking up thinking you are in your bed but you're actually being carried by a man through the cold night air…and with _wondering hands_ I might add. I'm still marveling over how you were able to—"

"Shhh. We're here."

The scene around him became suspiciously still, and at Shunsui's gesture, Ukitake walked ahead of the bigger man through a tall brush and ended up standing in a long meadow lighted by a full moon that took up half the sky. To Ukitake, the night was very beautiful and exuberant, and yet…a very odd feeling swept over him…as if he had seen this very scene once before in a distant dream.

"Shunsui…" Ukitake whispered as he brought himself out of his deja-vu, "this is all so very beautiful, but…have we, by chance, been here…?" As he tried to finish his sentence, a soft rumbling in the meadow cut him off, and he watched as a rainbow-like glow erupted from the meadow, rising higher and higher in large groups of color and wings.

It suddenly hit Ukitake immediately, and his eyes widened so much so that his eyebrows could be seen disappearing behind his blanket of long white bangs.

"The…the Spirit Moths!?" he gasped loudly. "But…but Shunsui…how did you…?" strong hairy limbs curled their way around his body, one around his stomach and the other around his chest and pulled him back into a wide warm chest, a scruffy chin resting near the white-haired-man's temple.

"Did you honestly think I'd forget seeing something so wonderful with someone so beautiful? Come now, Jyuu-kun, I may be getting a bit old, but I'm not forgetting memories…."

"Not yet."

"Watch it, Handsome."

Ukitake giggled softly, and Shunsui couldn't help but smile and tighten his hold on his lover. After all these years, through hardship and disappointment, his friend could still stand to laugh, to smile, and it was a beautiful site to see…just like long ago.

His Jyuu-kun then turned his head and nuzzled his neck, snuggling his body deeper into his lover's warmth and watched as the last colorful clash of moths drifted farther into the night and past the meadow. "Shunsui?" He called out.

"Mmm?"

"…I'm glad you didn't forget your promise."

There was a pause, then a deep intake of air. "Jyuu-kun, I could never forget a promise to _you_. Never."

His reply was cozy little nuzzles to his neck, and it was possibly the most adorable thing he had ever seen.

They stayed there for another few minutes, before Shunsui withdrew his body from Ukitake's warmth, placing a hand on the head of the now confused captain.

"Come along now, Jyuu-kun. Let's get you back into bed so you'll be healthy enough to see the next sprout of Spirit Moths. And besides," he winked, "those pajamas would look great on my floor."

Ukitake rolled his eyes. "Did your romantic mind make that up? Or did I happen to see that line in one of the romance novels you keep around your room?" as he said this, he happen to turn around, but by the time he did Shunsui was already crossing over the tall brush into the dark forest ahead.

"Ah! Wait for me, Shunsui!"

* * *

_End_

* * *

**A/N: I can't remember what sparked this idea, but a thanks to the show/movie/story that inspired me. I hope you all enjoyed the read. All comments welcomed. **

**-JATT**


End file.
